"Since Myanmar gained independence from the British in 1948, it has been wracked by armed conflicts and fragile ceasefires with civilians and ethnic rebels," and "[t]he health of Myanmar's women has been one of the biggest casualties," GlobalPost reports. Though recent news coverage has focused on political reform in the nation, "little attention has been paid to a more immediate need: affordable, decent health care," the news service states. The "military junta that ruled the country for a half century spent very little on health care," little international aid has come into the country, and "the government restricts where and how aid organizations can operate, blocking the delivery of medical services," the news service writes, adding, "The result has been a health care system that in conflict areas, does not exist, and in large cities, is too expensive for ordinary people, according to experts inside Myanmar and on the Thai border."